


Holiday With the In-Laws

by cablesscutie



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Canadian Thanksgiving, Holidays, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 00:36:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8644513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cablesscutie/pseuds/cablesscutie
Summary: Jack is hosting Canadian Thanksgiving.  Bitty comes to the rescue.





	

“…but we started learning vocabular for food finally, so I should do well on the quiz this week. I just spent the afternoon labeling all the food in the fridge.”

“Yeah, that’s a grat idea.” Jack smiles, warm and proud over the Skype call. Bitty still can’t get over this boy. His boyfriend.

“Anyway. Enough about my boring classes. What do you have planned for the weekend?” Bitty settles back agains this pillows, Senor Bun in his lap.

“Probably stalking your vlog. I sort of agreed to have Thanksgiving at my place and I’m pretty sure my parents will chirp me to death if I serve them boiled chicken and protien shakes.”

“Oh honey, I can teach you to cook in time for Thanksgiving. It’s not that hard, you just need time to cook it all.”

“Um, no…Not - not in November. I meant Canadian Thanksgiving. Which is this week.” Bitty blinks.

“Well. That’s a horse of a diferent color.”

“I’m screwed.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I am! How am I gonna learn this in like three days? Bitty, I lived in a frat house for three years. There was a reason I had a meal plan.”

“You’re gonna be fine, because you’re not gonna cook it. We don’t have a game this weekend, I’ll take a train down Saturday morning and I will cook dinner.”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Jack protests.

“You didn’t ask,” Bitty points out. “I decided.”

“It’s too much work.”

“Jack, this is literally my hobby. And I’ll have you to help me. Thanksgiving for us and your parents will be child’s play. As in, I could’ve pulled it off when I was an actual child.” Jack’s still biting his lip, but he looks tempted to accept.

“Your homework -”

“Would’ve been put off anyway.”

“Plans?”

“Sweetheart, do you really think I’d rather spend another weekend playing Mario Kart when I could be with you?”

“Well…”

“Jack, look at me.” Bitty stares straight on into the laptop’s camera, channeling all the longing and missing Jack he’s felt since that brunch at Jerry’s. 

“You really mean it?” He resists the urge to look at Jack’s face and keeps his gaze level as he says, 

“I really do.” Jack sighs.

“Thank you, Bitty.”

“Anytime, honey.”

Bitty asks Jack for his parents’ favorite dishes, and gets back a simple:

“They’ll love anything you make. Don’t worry.” Rather than dignify that with a response, Bitty emails Bob, knowing that Alicia wouldn’t be any more informative than Jack. 

_Hey Bob,_

_I’m coming to Providence to cook Thanksgiving dinner because your son is scared of butter and proper seasoning. He’s being cagey about you and Alicia’s favorites, but I need to plan a menu asap. What do y’all usually have?_

_-Eric_

**eric,**

**i unlike my son am not shy about asking you for pastry. please make that maple apple pie jack raves about, i have to try some. i also like pumpkin and alicia’s favorite is strawberry-rhubarb. as for dinner, i’ve always wanted to try those sweet potatoes with the marshmallows. also extra stuffing and some of that green bean casserole please and thank you.**

**< 3 bob**

_Jack,_

_Here’s the grocery list for Thanksgiving. I asked your dad what to make. Remember, when it comes to pie, I always win. So ha :P I love you and I’ll see you real soon._

_xoxo Bitty_

**Bitty,**

**You are unbelivable. I mean that in the good way and the bad way. Je t’aime aussi.**

**Jack**

Jack is already peeling carrots and potatoes when he hears the turn of a key in the front door lock. He smiles to himself. When he first gave Bitty a key, he’d been shy about actually using it, insisting on knocking whenever he knew Jack would be home. To know that Bitty was beginning to think of Jack’s place as a shared thing between them made him feel bubbles fizzing under his skin.

Bitty doesn’t make it more than halfway across the living room before he’s scooped up and kissed soundly and thoroughly.

“Mmph!” Bitty makes a surprised sound against Jack’s mouth, but wraps his arms around Jack’s huge shoulders to hold himself up. When Jack finally pulls back, he grins widely. “Well, isn’t this a warm welcome,” Bitty says. Jack lets Bitty slide back to stand on the ground, bends down to brush the tips of their noses together.

“I’m just happy that you’re making yourself at home here.” He ducks his head further to kiss at Bitty’s jaw. “And it’s the first holiday we get to spend together as a couple. No hiding.” Bitty tangles his fingers in Jack’s hair and gently tugs him back up to his mouth for one last quick press of lips.

“Alright, that’s enough of that. If we’re gonna make your parents a decent meal, we do not have time to get distracted.” Jack reluctantly lets go of Bitty’s hips and steps out of his orbit.

“Fine, fine. I started on the list of prep work, so you can get started on some of the sides.” Bitty smiles at the neat piles of precisely peeled produce.

“Perfect. How’s about you get the potatoes, the yams, and the carrots boiling and I will get up close and personal with the bird.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Jack holds out his fist and Bitty bumps it with his own, laughing and shaking his head at his ridiculous boyfriend.

Jack chops the veggies, glancing up every few seconds to watch Bitty skillfully pull the gibbllets out of the turkey, rinse it, and get it soaking in a mysteriously seasoned brine. It’s sort of a mix of impressive and hilarous to watch Bits work. The plucked turkey itself was absurd-looking, but the fact that it was almost the size of Bitty’s torso and kept slipping as though trying to escape added to the effect. A few times, Bitty started mumbling irritatedly and cursing the turkey and Jack had to bite down on the urge to laugh.

By the time Jack is starting to put the water on, Bitty has wrestled “Ben”, as the turkey was eventually dubbed, into the fridge.

“Why did you name our dinner Ben?” he asks. Bitty spreads a truly frightening volume of butter on the counter and Jack reaches on top of the fridge to retrieve the cannisters of flour and sugar. Bitty flashes him a grateful smile and then explains,

“Well, you know, after Benjamin Franklin? Because he wanted the national bird to be the turkey instead of the bald eagle.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. We learned about it in elementary school.” Jack laughs and puts his knife down so he can scoop his boyfriend into a hug, peppering Bitty’s face with kisses. Bitty’s own laughter bubbles up and over, bright and joyful and contagious. They giggle into each other’s mouths, teeth clacking together and catching on lips.

“What has gotten into you today, Mr. Zimmermann?” Jack presses his forehead against Bitty’s.

“You named our dinner after a founding father.”

“History trivia? That’s what gets you going?”

“You’re what gets me going.” He slides his hands into the back pockets of Bitty’s jeans, pulling Bitty close, their hips pressed tight. Bitty’s eyes flutter closed for a second, but he pushes Jack back towards the cutting board.

“Uh-uh. We have got way too much work to do.” Jack pouts at him, getting an eye roll in return. “Maybe if you work fast we’ll have some time while the pies are in the oven.”

Jack finishes the prep work in record time, even managing to assemble a passable lattice crust. When he shuts the oven on the last one, he turns to Bitty with a hungry smile. Bitty tosses his apron on the counter and swipes the egg timer as he’s hoisted up and carted off.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to send in more prompts at imaginezimbits on tumblr, or come visit me at my main, latticeontop!


End file.
